Construction components with improved locking system

ABSTRACT

A construction component has a plurality of male and female lock assemblies for engagement with female and male lock assemblies of a similar construction component for locking the two components together. The male lock assemblies are arranged in vertical tandem pairs, as are the female lock assemblies. Each of the male lock assemblies includes a rigid pin which is reciprocable with respect to the component between an advanced position and a retracted position. Each female lock assembly defines a socket opening and includes a transversely reciprocable lock for locking a pin in the socket opening. The male lock assembly includes a similar transversely reciprocable lock adapted to lock the pin in at least one of, and preferably both of, its two positions. The locks of each tandem pair of assemblies are connected for joint movement and are adapted so that, when lowered, the lower lock engages its respective pin before the upper lock engages its pin. The structural component is in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped with gross dimensions corresponding to those of a standard freight container. All parts of the lock assemblies are retained against separation and are designed to lie generally within such gross dimensions, so as not to interfere with handling of the construction component in the manner of a standard freight container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to construction components which may belocked together in various configurations to form structures such asbridges, platforms, and the like. Prior U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,726, U.S.Pat. No. 3,057,315, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,721 describe a series ofsuccessive developments in such construction components and speciallocks therefor. The present invention provides further improvements insuch construction components. However, while the inventions of saidprior patents are described in the context of buoyant constructioncomponents, such as are used to form barges, floating platforms,floating bridges, and the like, it is contemplated that the presentinvention may be applied not only to such buoyant components but also tocomponents for forming non-floating structures such as earth supportedbridges, earth supported platforms, etc.

In modern international commerce, there is widespread use of what aretermed "standard freight containers." Such a container is generally inthe form of a rectangular parallelepiped. It not only has standardizedexternal dimensions, but in addition, usually includes a standard formof fitting which may be engaged by standardized tools and the like forboth lifting and moving the container, and for lashing it in place invarious locations. Freight handling facilities, e.g. at seaports,throughout the world, have been equipped with such standardized liftingand moving equipment, whereas freight vehicles, such as ships, have beenequipped with standard sized racks used in aligning and retaining suchcontainers. Such standardization, on an international scale, has vastlyfacilitated the shipping and handling of many types of freight which canbe packed in the containers.

Coinciding with the above developments in freight handling equipment andpractices, is the need for transporting construction components of thetype generally exemplified by the aforementioned prior U.S. patents tothe locations at which they will be used. Such transport could begreatly facilitated and the cost thereof reduced if the constructioncomponents could be handled and shipped in the same manner as standardfreight containers.

The generally rectangular parallelepiped configuration of suchcomponents would readily lend itself to such handling, but problems arepresented by the fact that the lock assemblies carried by the componentsinclude protruding pin members. Thus, for example, if the grossdimensions of such a component, measured between the outer surfaces ofits walls, were sized to correspond to those of a standard freightcontainer, the pins of the lock assemblies would protrude beyond suchstandardized profile or gross dimensions, and thereby prevent thecomponent from being placed in the standardized racks typically providedon freighters. On the other hand, if the construction component weresized so that its dimensions, measured to the outer ends of the lockpins, would correspond to those of a standard freight container, thegross dimensions, measured between the outer surfaces of the walls,would then be too small to enable the component to be properly held insuch racks.

Furthermore, even if the components are not to be handled or shipped asstandard freight containers, it would be preferable to eliminate theprotruding pins in any transport or storage situation, not only for themost economic use of space, but also for the protection of the pinsthemselves and other structures, apparatus, or even personnel which thepins might strike in the course of handling.

Another area for potential improvement revolves around the fact that,when such construction components are locked together to form a givenstructure, many different types of loads may be imposed thereon. Forexample, where the components are assembled to form a floatingstructure, one of the greatest forces is a vertical shear-type forceexerted by virtue of the fact that one component tends to rise or fallwith respect to another due, for example, to wave action and/or to thepassage of motor vehicles from one component to the next across theupper surface of the overall structure. Another significant type offorce is a horizontally directed tensile force exerted by virtue of thetendency of the connected components to separate. There are alsotransverse horizontal shear-type forces, which generally represent asomewhat less serious problem than the transverse vertical shear forces.

In the structures disclosed in the aforementioned prior U.S. patents,when two components are locked together, the transfer of all of thesevarious forces from one component to the next involves the pin membersof the male lock assemblies. Thus, the dimensions of these pin membersare a limiting factor on the magnitude of forces which can be handled.The ramifications of this limitation in turn include not only limits onthe uses to which such components can be put, but also limits on thesize of the components themselves, given a specific pin size.

Yet another area for potential improvement relates to the fact that, inmany situations, it is desirable, or even necessary, that the workerswho assemble the construction components to form a completed structurestand on those very comonents as they are being connected together. Whenthe components are buoyant, and are connected together while floating ona body of water, the proglems are further complicated. Thus, it isextremely important that the lock systems be easy to use, requiring onlya few simple motions with simple hand tools. In general, theaforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,726, U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,315, andU.S. Pat. No. 3,805,721 meet these needs quite well. However, when theworkers stand, as they naturally would, near the component wall at whichthe connections are to be made, and if the components are floating, thenthe components tend to rock or tip downwardly at said adjacent walls,which tends to splay the lower edges of said walls making it difficultto mate the connectors along said lower edges.

There have been attempts to address the various problems discussedabove, but they have not been completely satisfactory. In particular,there have been suggestions that pontoons or the like could be sized togenerally correspond to standard freight containers. These devices havebeen designed with locks substantially different from the type describedand illustrated in the aforementioned prior U.S. patents.

German Patent Publications No. 2725060 and No. 2651247 are exemplary.The lock structures illustrated therein do not employ horizontallyextending pin members carried by the components to be connected. Rather,the components must be brought together so that recesses in the twocomponents are properly aligned, and then a separate pin member isinserted into the aligned recesses in a vertical directional mode, thepin member and recesses being configured so as to effect connection ofthe two components.

This system suffers from several disadvantages. First, in what may havebeen an effort to devise a locking arrangement which would not includeparts protruding substantially beyond the gross dimensions of thestructural component, a form of locking system has been chosen whichdiffers substantially from the type of lock generally described andillustrated in prior U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,726, U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,315and U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,721. This is undesirable because the generaltype of lock disclosed in said prior U.S. patents has proven, over manyyears of use, to be particularly effective, reliable, easy to use, andotherwise highly successful in the connection of constructioncomponents, particularly for floating structures, for which use thislast-mentioned locking scheme was specially developed. It is undesirableto sacrifice these proven and highly successful features of the locksexemplified by the prior U.S. patents by going to the less effectinglocking scheme exemplified by the aforementioned German patentpublications.

Another problem with the type of structure exemplified by the Germanpatent publications is that the locking system requires a completelyseparate insertable pin member. These pin members must be separatelycarried and stored, and therefore they are susceptible to being lost,misappropriated by workers for use as make-shift tools, or otherwisedisposed of so that, when the time comes to connect the structuralcomponents to form a structure, the pin members either cannot belocated, or have been damaged.

Still another problem with this type of prior art scheme is that, due tothe elimination of any part which extends a substantial distancehorizontally from the side walls of the construction component, there isno effective structural guidance for bringing two such components intoproper alignment, and maintaining them so aligned, so that the pinmember can be inserted into the aligned recesses in order to completethe lock. This can be a particular problem when it is necessary toconnect such components while they are floating on a body of water.

In some instances, structures somewhat similar to those disclosed in theGerman patent publications have further been provided with mating lugsand recesses projecting and receiving in a generally horizontaldirection, but by a distance small enough not to interfere with thehandling of the structural component in the manner of a standard freightcontainer. Because of this very limited horizontal extent, these lugsand recesses do not really provide a great deal of assistance with thealignment problem described above. In short, the components must befairly closely aligned before the lugs and recesses can be engaged. Itis believed that such lugs and recesses probably were not providedprimarily to serve as guides in aligning the components, but rather, mayhave been provided to bear the shear loads between the components, sincethe vertically arranged pin and recess scheme does not include any meansfor doing so.

Still another scheme for connecting pontoons is disclosed, in variousembodiments, in the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,100;U.S. Pat. No. No. 3,818,854; U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,667; U.S. Pat. No.3,938,461; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,382. The last-mentioned patentgenerally corresponds to at least one known commercial embodiment ofsuch scheme. One of the main features of this scheme is that it isspecifically designed to provide a hinging-type action or articulationbetween the connected pontoons about a horizontal axis. All of theconnectors on a given side of the pontoon are horizontally aligned onthe same level. Furthermore, as best shown in the first four patentslisted above, the pin members of the locks have flexible elastomericsections bridging gaps between adjacent pontoons to allow for sucharticulation. The last listed patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,382, furtherdiscloses the provision of separate shear bearing formations. Theseformations define generally cylindrical shear bearing surfaces, with theaxes of the cylinders disposed horizontally and aligned with thepin-type connectors so as to form large hinges.

This type of connection scheme, and the hinging action specificallyprovided thereby, are unacceptable in construction components forforming such structures as bridges, drilling platforms, etc.Furthermore, the connectors are so large and unwieldly that they cannotbe manually moved, even with hand tools, but rather, require the use oflarge, heavy duty power tools such as motorized winches. Likewise, theextremely large connector elements, e.g. the shear bearing formationswhich protrude substantially from the sides of the pontoons, effectivelyeliminate the possibility of sizing and handling the pontoons asstandard freight containers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention utilizes many general principles of lock systemsdisclosed in prior U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,726, U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,315, andU.S. Pat. No. 3,805,721, with their proven advantages and success inconnecting construction components, buoyant or otherwise, but withfurther improvements which address the various problems discussed abovein connection with the prior art.

A construction component of the present invention has thereon aplurality of male and female lock assemblies, generally similar to thelock assemblies disclosed in the aforementioned prior U.S. patents,adapted for engagement with respective female and male lock assembliesof a similar construction component for locking the two componentstogether. One of the main differences between the locking system of thepresent invention and those of the aforementioned prior U.S. patents isthat, in each of the male lock assemblies, the generally horizontallydisposed pin member is reciprocable with respect to the constructioncomponent between an advanced position in which it protrudessignificantly from a lateral wall of that component and a retractedposition in which it lies generally within the gross dimensions of thecomponent (i.e. in which it does not protrude from the component by adistance sufficient to interfere with its handling in the manner of astandard freight container). Accordingly, the gross dimensions of thecomponent may be chosen to generally correspond to those of a standardfreight container.

Thus, for shipping and handling, the pin members may be disposed intheir retracted positions, and the component on which they are carriedmay further be provided with standard container fittings whereby thecontainer may be lifted, lashed, and otherwise handled in generally thesame manner as such freight containers. However, when the constructioncomponent has been unloaded at the construction site, the pin membersmay be placed in their advanced positions, extending substantiallyoutwardly from the side walls of the component, whereby tapered surfaceson the pin members and/or the sockets of the mating female assemblies ofanother component to be connected may gradually guide the componentsinto a properly aligned position and aid in temporarily maintaining suchposition, as explained more fully in the aforementioned U.S. patents.

The male lock assemblies of each construction component are arranged intandem pairs, the two male lock assemblies of each such pair beingvertically spaced from each other along a lateral wall of theconstruction component. The female lock assemblies are similarlyarranged in tandem vertical pairs. Furthermore, the pin members of themale lock assemblies are rigid. Thus, the present invention is designedto specifically prevent any substantial hinging action between adjacentconnected construction components. Nevertheless, the pin members andother movable parts may be made sufficiently small so as to be manuallymovable with simple hand tools.

Each of the female lock assemblies includes a female body comprising afemale socket means defining a female socket opening adapted for receiptof such a pin member. Further, the female lock assembly includes lockmeans movable generally transverse to the socket opening between arelease position and a locking position for selectively locking the pinmember in the female socket means. The male lock assembly, in turn,likewise comprises a lock means similar to that of the female lockassembly which is movable generally transverse to the pin member betweena release position and a locking position for selectively locking thepin member in at least one of, but preferably either of, its twopositions.

More particularly, the pin member has a head end, a tail end, and twolock engagement regions located between the ends and also spaced fromeach other along the length of the pin member. The male lock assemblyfurther includes a male body comprising male socket means having frontand rear faces and defining a male socket opening extending therethroughin the front-rear directional mode. The pin member is received in thismale socket opening for reciprocation relative to the male socket meansbetween its advanced and retracted positions.

When the pin member is in its advanced position, one of its lockengagement region is disposed forward of the front face of the malesocket means by a distance such that, if the pin member is inserted intothe socket opening of a female lock assembly of another constructioncomponent, this first lock engagement region will be properly positionedfor engagement by the lock means of the female lock assembly. At thesame time, with the pin member in its advanced position, the second ofthe lock engagement regions is located behind the rear face of the malesocket means so that it is in proper position for engagement by the malelock means for locking the pin member in its advanced position and alsotransferring rear-to-front loads imposed on the pin member to the malebody on which it is carried. When the pin member is in its retractedposition, the first lock engagement region thereof is disposed behindthe rear face of the male socket means in a position analogous to thatof the second lock engagement region when the pin member is in itsadvanced position. Thus, in the retracted position, the first lockengagement region may be engaged by the male lock means to retain thepin member in the retracted position.

It can thus be seen that the locking system of the present inventionprovides a scheme which allows the profile of the lock assemblies to bereduced so as not to interfere with shipping and handling of theconstruction component on which they are carried in the manner of astandard freight container. Nevertheless, after such shipping andhandling, substantially horizontally extending pin members may beadvanced to provide all of the advantages of the types of lockassemblies generally disclosed in prior U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,726, U.S.Pat. No. 3,057,315, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,721.

Furthermore, there are no separate parts which must be separatelycarried, and therefore could be lost. Rather, the lock assemblies of thepresent invention are completely self-contained. More particularly, thereciprocable pin members of the male lock assemblies, as well as thereciprocable lock means of both the male and female lock assemblies, arecarried on those lock assemblies, and retained against separationtherefrom. In addition, the means are provided for so retaining the maleand female lock means in raised positions against the force of gravity.This represents a considerable advantage over various other types ofprior art locking schemes as described more fully above.

The bodies of the male and female lock assemblies, which include theirrespective socket means, may also include integral shear bearingformations, projecting and receiving in a generally horizontaldirectional mode for interengagement when the male and female lockassemblies are mated and locked, so as to transfer shear loads betweenthe connected assemblies independently of the respective pin member. Theextent of horizontal projection of any such shear bearing formation neednot be so great as to interfere with the aforementioned handling of theconstruction component in the manner of a standard freight container.Furthermore, although the rigidity of the pin members, and thearrangement of the lock assemblies in vertical tandem pairs preventshinging action as mentioned hereinabove, the shear bearing formationsare preferably configured to further positively resist any such hingingaction about a horizontal axis.

By relieving the pin member from shear loading in at least onetransverse direction, e.g. vertical, it is possible to make the verticaltransverse dimension of the pin member, in the area adjacent the socketmeans when the pin is advanced and locked into a female assembly,significantly smaller than its transverse horizontal direction. This inturn makes it possible to maximize the distance between the centers ofgravity of two tandem pins, thereby increasing the resistance to hingingaction. From another point of view, it is possible to substantiallyincrease the transverse horizontal dimension of the pin, to increase itstensile and horizontal shear bearing capacity, without a correspondingincrease in transverse vertical dimension. Thus, without an unduly largeor heavy pin, larger and heavier construction components may be used,and the manner in which the components are used may be expanded.

Unlike the prior art exemplified by the German patent publications,however, the present invention still makes use of a horizontallyextending pin in the male lock assembly and a corresponding socket inthe female lock assembly. Therefore, when the pin member is insertedinto the female socket, these structures may temporarily bear thevertical shear loads while the lock means are being moved to theirlocking positions. Again, this represents a tremendous advantage interms of the ease of assembling the components in actual practice,particularly when the components must be assembled while floating onwater.

Even if the components on which the lock assemblies are carried are notsized to correspond generally to standard freight containers, theretractability of the pins of the male lock assemblies is highlydesirable, since it makes the lock assemblies, and the components ingeneral, much easier and safer both to handle and store in virtually anysituation.

The lock means of each tandem pair of lock assemblies are preferablyconnected for joint vertical movement. This permits the lower of the twolock assemblies to be operated along with the upper assembly by workersstanding on the upper decks of the construction components. To aid insolving the problem of tipping or rocking of the construction componentsby such workers standing close to the lateral walls on which the lockassemblies are being used, resulting in splaying of the lower ends ofthose walls, the female lock means of a tandem pair of female lockassemblies are designed so that the lower of the two lock means willengage a pin member inserted in the respective female socket before theupper lock means will engage a like related pin when the two lock meansare driven downwardly in unison. The male lock means are similarlydesigned, but for a different purpose. Specifically, when it is desiredto place the pin members of a tandem pair of male lock assemblies intheir retracted positions, and lock them in such positions, the lowerpin member can be forced inwardly to its retracted position, the tandemlock means can be jointly lowered until said lower pin is engaged, theupper pin can then be forced to its retracted position, and the lockmeans can be further lowered to completely engage and lock both pins intheir retracted positions. This eliminates the need to manually holdboth pins in their retracted positions while the lock means are beinglowered.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide animproved construction component including vertical tandem pairs of malelock assemblies having retractable rigid pin members.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a componentwhose gross dimensions generally correspond to those of a standardfreight container.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such aconstruction component which is buoyant.

Still other objects, features, and advantages of the present inventionwill be made apparent by the following detailed description, thedrawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a construction component incorporatingthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of several construction components, of thetype illustrated in FIG. 1, positioned for prospective connection in oneof several possible configurations.

FIG. 3 is a transverse view through the construction component of FIG. 1taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view, partly in cross section and partly in elevation,of a pair of tandem male lock assemblies.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the tandem male lock assemblies, takengenerally on the line 5--5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view, similar to that of FIG. 4, showing a pair of tandemfemale lock assemblies.

FIG. 7 is a view of the tandem female lock assemblies similar to that ofFIG. 5 and taken generally on the line 7--7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a side view, partly in cross section and partly in elevation,showing the tandem lock assemblies of FIGS. 4 and 6 in mated and lockedcondition.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged detailed view, taken along the line 9--9 of FIG.8.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged detailed side view, in cross section, of one ofthe male lock assemblies with the pin member thereof locked in itsretracted position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 represents a construction component 10 incorporating variousfeatures of the present invention. These features represent improvementsin the apparatus described and illustrated in prior U.S. Pat. No.2,876,726, U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,315, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,721. Suchimprovements will be described in detail hereinafter. Otherwise, thecomponent 10 and the lock assemblies carried thereby may be assumed toincorporate the various features disclosed in said prior U.S. patents.Accordingly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,726, U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,315, and U.S.Pat. No. 3,805,721 are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

The construction component 10, as shown, is a buoyant type, so that itmay be used in constructing floating bridges, barges, floating piers ordocks, floating platforms, and the like. It will be appreciated,however, that the component 10, along with similar components, couldlikewise be used in the construction of various non-floating structures,such as land supported bridges, platforms, etc. Construction componentsspecifically intended for the latter type usage may or may not be madebuoyant, as desired.

More specifically, component 10 is in the form of a rectangularparallelepiped. Component 10 includes an internal force bearingframework, to be described hereinafter, which is generally encasedwithin an outer covering including an upper wall 12, a lower wall 13,and four lateral walls. The lateral walls in turn are subdivided intoend walls 14 and side walls 16.

In each corner of the component 10, there is mounted a standardcontainer fitting 18. Such fittings are well known, and in particular,are of the same type which are used in the corners of standard freightcontainers. Each of the fittings 18 has three intersecting bores 19 intowhich lifting tools, lash lines and the like can be inserted for liftingand handling the component 10, lashing it in place in racks on afreighter, and otherwise handling the component 10 in the same manner asstandard freight containers are handled.

The gross dimensions of component 10, measured between the outersurfaces of its various pairs of opposite walls, generally correspond tothose of a standard freight container. For example, the gross dimensionsof component 10 may correspond to those of any of the standard sizecontainers listed in the leaflet "ISO Container Dimensions" filedherewith and hereby expressly incorporated by reference. However, it iscontemplated that the present invention could be adapted to othercontainer sizes which may become standard in the future.

When it is said that the gross dimensions of component 10 "generally"correspond to those of a standard freight container, it is meant thatany projections formed by the container fittings 18 or the various partsof the lock assemblies to be described hereinafter, when those lockassemblies are placed in suitable positions for transport, do notproject beyond the outer surfaces of the walls of component 10 bydistances such as to interfere with the shipping and handling ofcomponent 10 in generally the same manner as a standard freightcontainer.

A plurality of upper and lower male lock assemblies 20 and 20',respectively, and upper and lower female lock assemblies 22 and 22',respectively, are carried adjacent the upper and lower edges of thelateral walls, i.e. end walls 14 and side walls 16. The lock assembliesare arranged in tandem pairs, the assemblies of each pair beingvertically spaced so that they are disposed respectively adjacent theupper and lower edges of the particular lateral wall on which they arelocated. The terms "vertical" and "horizontal" are used herein forconvenience; they refer to the apparatus as shown and as normally used,and should not be construed as further limiting the scope. Theassemblies of each pair are of the same gender, and the male and femaleassemblies are alternated along the length of each lateral wall, and areof an even number. Thus, on each end wall 14 there are two pairs ofassemblies, one pair of male assemblies 20 and 20' and one pair offemale assemblies 22 and 22'.

Furthermore, the male assemblies 20 and 20' on one of the end walls 14are disposed across from and aligned with the female assemblies 22 and22' of the other of the end walls 14. Thus, as may be seen in FIG. 2,one end of a component 10 can be aligned with either end of anothersimilar component 10, and the male assemblies of each of said ends willautomatically be aligned with the female assemblies of the other of saidends so that the two can be connected. Similarly, there are eight pairof lock assemblies, alternately male and female, arranged along thelength of each of the side walls 16, and each male assembly on one sideof the construction component is located across from a female assemblyon the other side. Thus, a given side of a component 10 can be connectedto either side of another similar component 10.

This differs from the arrangements disclosed in said prior U.S. Pat. No.2,876,726, U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,315, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,721, whereinall of the assemblies on any given side of the device were of the samegender, and consequently, a given end or side of one component couldonly be connected to one end or one side of a similar component. Ofcourse, it will be appreciated that FIG. 2 illustrates only one, andthat a relatively simple one, of the many configurations in which suchcomponents can be connected. It will be noted, in particular, that amongthe variations are those in which components are connected end-to-sideand those in which they are connected side-to-side, but in an offset orstaggered manner.

As previously mentioned, the construction component 10 includes aninternal structural framework which, as more fully described in theaforementioned prior U.S. patents, may include a plurality ofinterconnected trusses. An exemplary truss, and more specifically atransverse truss extending from side-to-side within component 10, isshown in FIG. 3. As mentioned, each tandem pair of male assemblies onone side of the construction component is located across from a tandempair of female assemblies on the other side of the component.

As shown in FIG. 3, such complementary pairs of male and female lockassemblies are mounted at opposite ends of a given transverse truss. Thetruss shown in FIG. 3 includes parallel upper and lower cords 24 and 26,interconnected by struts 28. As fully explained in prior U.S. Pat. No.3,057,315, struts 28 are arranged so as to abut cords 24 and 26 atspaced apart locations, so as to enhance the flexibility of the truss.Similarly, rails 30, which space upper wall 12 from the upper extremityof cord 24 and similar cords in other trusses throughout theconstruction component, abut cord 24 at positions spaced longitudinallyfrom those at which the trusses 28 abut cord 24. Likewise, rails 32which are disposed between the bottom of lower cord 26 and the bottomwall 13 of the construction component are longitudinally spaced from thelocations of abutment of struts 28 with cord 26.

Referring now jointly to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, each of the male lockassemblies 20 and 20' of the tandem pair shown includes a body in theform of a housing 34 or 34', respectively. Housing 34 will be describedin greater detail hereinafter. Housings 34 and 34' are identical, butreversed in orientation so that they are mirror images across ahorizontal plane. At this point, it is further noted, that any part oflower male lock assembly 20' which is identical to a part of upper malelock assembly 20 will be designated by the same reference numeral withthe character "'" appended thereto. To the extent that the upper andlower male lock assemblies are identical, the lower assembly will not bedescribed in great detail. The same scheme will be utilized indescribing upper and lower female lock assemblies 22 and 22'.

Housing 34 has a front wall 36 located near the outer end of the trussin position for general alignment with the respective side wall 16, anda rear wall 38 spaced therefrom inwardly with respect to the truss. Cord24 is channel-shaped and is welded to one side of the housing 34 of theupper male lock assembly 20 of the tandem pair. Cord 24 is oriented sothat its channel faces laterally outwardly with respect to the connectedmale housing 34. The weld lines 40 extend along housing 34 for asubstantial distance in the front-rear directional mode. In addition,there is a weld 41 across the end of cord 24.

As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, another channel-shaped cord 42 is weldedto the opposite side of the housing 34 from cord 24. Cord 42 forms apart of another truss, which is a mirror image of the truss shown inFIG. 3, and which further includes lower cord 44 and interconnectingstruts (not shown). Thus, the housing 34 of the upper male lock assembly20 is sandwiched between the upper cords 24 and 42 of two adjacenttrusses. Similarly, housing 34' of lower male lock assembly 20' iswelded between the ends of the lower cords 26 and 44 of the two adjacenttrusses.

Referring now to FIGS. 3, 6 and 7, there is shown a pair of tandemfemale lock assemblies 22 and 22', each of which includes a female bodyin the form of a female housing 46 or 46', respectively. (Hereinafter,parts of the male and female lock assemblies which are more or lesssimilarly or analogous will be designated "male" or "female" todistinguish between the parts of the two genders of assemblies, and thisis not intended to imply that these parts are necessarily of aprojecting or receiving type configuration.)

Female housing 46 has a front wall 48 and a rear wall 50 spacedtherefrom. Thus, when the upper female housing 46 is welded between theends of cords 24 and 42 opposite the ends which mount the upper maleassembly 20, the weld lines 52 may extend a substantial distance in thefront-rear directional mode. There is also a weld 53 across the end ofthe cord. The female housing 46' of the lower female lock assembly islikewise welded between the ends of cords 26 and 44 opposite those whichmount the lower male lock assembly 20'.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the male lock assemblies 20 and 20' willbe described in greater detail, and it will be understood that all othertandem pairs of male lock assemblies on the component 10, are identical.

The front wall 36 of male housing 34 has a thickened portion 54 whichserves as the male socket means and has rear and front walls 54a and54b, respectively. Male socket means defines a rectangular male socketopening 56 extending therethrough in the front-rear directional mode.(As used herein, the "front-rear directional mode" will generally referto a position or direction of orientation parallel to front-to-rear andrear-to-front directions). As shown in FIG. 5, the transverse horizontaldimension of male socket opening 56 is substantially greater than itstransverse vertical dimension.

The male lock assembly 20 further includes a monolithic cast metallicpin member 58 which is slidably received in opening 56 forreciprocation, in the front-rear directional mode, between an advancedposition, as shown in FIG. 4, and a retracted position, as shown in FIG.10. The portion of pin member 58 which is received in opening 56 isgenerally of a complementary rectangular cross-sectional configuration,of greater horizontal dimension than vertical dimension.

Comparing FIGS. 4, 5, 9 and 10, the outermost of head end of pin member58 is tapered, as shown at 60, to a somewhat smaller rectangular crosssection. Head end 60 has a notch 61 in its upper surface. At thejuncture of head end 60 and the larger rectangular portion 64 of pinmember 58, there is a first lock engagement region or necked down areaincluding a pair of grooves 62 extending vertically along opposite sidesof pin member 58 and opening laterally outwardly. Rearward of grooves 62is the relatively large rectangular portion 64 of pin member 58, forwardor rear portions of which are disposed in opening 56, depending uponwhether pin member 58 is in its retracted or advanced position.

Portion 64 of pin member 58 has recesses 66 in its upper and lowersurfaces, for a purpose to be described hereinafter. Recesses 66 are notsufficiently large to unduly detract from the load bearing capabilitiesof portion 64 of pin member 58.

At the rear extremity of large rectangular portion 64 of pin member 58,there is a second lock engagement region or necked down area includingvertical grooves 68 substantially identical to grooves 62. Rearward ofgrooves 68 is a small tapered section 70, which in turn adjoins thecylindrical tail end 72 of the pin member 58. It should be noted thatthe diameter of tail end 72 does not exceed the vertical dimension ofrectangular portion 64 of pin member 58.

Male lock assembly 20 further comprises lock means in the form of aplate-like lock member 74. The male lock member 74 is substantiallyidentical to the female lock member 116 of female lock assembly 22, tobe described more fully hereinbelow. Thus, comparison of FIGS. 4 and 5,which show male lock member 74 in its lower or locking position, withFIGS. 6 and 7, which show the identical female lock member 116 in itsupper or release position, may facilitate understanding of both male andfemale lock members.

More particularly, lock member 74 is generally in the form of aninverted U, having downwardly extending tines or rails 76 sized toslidably fit in respective locking grooves 68, or alternatively, inrespective locking grooves 62. Rails 76 are joined at their upper endsby a bridge section 78. A tab 80 extends rearwardly from the upper endof bridge section 78.

Lock member 74 is disposed just rearwardly of male socket means 54 insliding abutment with the rear face 54a thereof. An opening 84 in theupper wall 35 of male housing 34 allows lock member 74 to be raised fromthe locking position shown in FIG. 4, wherein rails 76 are disposed inone or the other of the two pair of locking grooves 62 or 68, to araised release position, wherein the locking member 74 clears the pinmember 58. For this purpose, a suitable tool such as a crowbar, can beinserted in a notch 84a in opening 84 and engaged under tab 80.

The lower male lock assembly 20' of the tandem pair has a male housing34' which is a mirror image of housing 34 across a horizontal plane.Assembly 20' further includes a pin member 58' which is identical to thepin member 58 of the upper male lock assembly 20 and oriented in thesame manner. Because the pin members 58 and 58' are identical, andbecause their locking grooves, e.g. 62 and 68, extend completelytherethrough in the vertical direction, it is possible for the lockmember 75 of lower male lock assembly 20' to be oriented in the samemanner as the lock member 74 of upper male lock assembly 20, i.e. withits bridge section uppermost and its rails or tines extending downwardlytherefrom. Lock member 75 is identical to lock member 74, except that itlacks the tab 80 and its rail 77 are longer.

The two lock members 74 and 74' are connected for joint reciprocationbetween their locking positions and release positions by lock extensionmeans in the form of rods 82 welded to the laterally outer sides of thetwo male lock members. The lower end of the housing 34 of the upper malelock assembly, and the identical upper end of the housing 34' of thelower male lock assembly are open to permit the necessary movements ofrods 82. These open ends of housings 34 and 34' are further rigidlyinterconnected by body extension means in the form of a channel member86, as by welding. Guides 73 are welded to housing 34' for cooperationwith the rear surface of lower male lock member 75.

A male lock retainer, which is substantially identical to the device 61,62, 63, 64 shown in prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,721, is provided. Briefly,the device includes a base plate 87 which is welded between the sides ofchannel 86 in a position to slidably engage the front surfaces of rod82. A nut and bolt assembly 89 connects plate 87 to a spring 88 which isthereby clamped against the rear surfaces of rods 82 to frictionallyengage the rods, and thereby, indirectly frictionally engage the lockmembers 74 and 75. The force with which the device 87, 88, 89frictionally engages rods 82 is generally sufficient to preventseparation of the lock members 74 and 75 from their respective lockassemblies. In addition, positive stop bars 91 are welded between rods82, for abutment with blocks 93 carried on plate 87, to positively limitvertical movement and prevent such separation. In addition, the frictiondevice 87, 88, 89 urges the lock members 74 and 75 forwardly againsttheir respective sockets 54 and 54'. Finally, friction device 87, 88, 89will temporarily maintain the tandem lock member 74 and 75 in anyposition in which they are placed, and in particular, if they areraised, will temporarily maintain them in a raised position against theforce of gravity. Nevertheless, the force with which the friction deviceengages rods 82 is not so great as to interfere with selective manualraising or lowering of the lock members, with simple tools such ascrowbars and hammers, when desired.

To more securely hold the male lock members 74 and 75 in their loweredor locking positions, an inverted-U-shaped latch spring 90 is mounted onrods 82. Spring 90 is substantially identical in structure and functionto that of prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,721, and thus, will not bedescribed in great detail herein. Briefly, spring 90 is biasedrearwardly so that, when the locking members 74 and 75 are in theirlocking positions, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper end of spring 90 isdisposed beneath the upper wall 35 of housing 34 just adjacent opening84. When it is desired to raise the lock members 74 and 75, a tool canbe inserted in notch 84a to pry spring 90 forward so that the lockmembers can be raised. Then, whenever the lock members are again loweredto their locking positions, spring 90 will automatically snap back intoa latching position under the upper wall of housing 34.

The rear wall 38 of housing 34 has a pocket 92 extending rearwardlytherefrom for sliding receipt of the tail end 72 of pin member 58. Ahelical compression spring 94 is interposed between the bottom of pocket92 and a shoulder 96 on the tail end 72 of pin member 58 to bias pinmember 58 forward. To retain pin member 58 from being ejected throughsocket opening 56 or falling out from that opening when the lock member74 is raised to its release position, a pin retainer in the form ofspring 98 is carried on the underside of pin member 58. Spring 98extends generally longitudinally along pin member 58. Its rear end isanchored on pin member 58, while its forward end if free and biasedoutwardly away from pin member 58. However, spring 98 can be biasedinwardly so that it fits into a groove 100 (see FIG. 9) in the undersideof pin member 58.

Thus, in assembling the male lock assembly 20, spring 94 can be insertedthrough socket opening 56 and into pocket 92. Pin member 58 is theninserted through socket opening 56, such insertion being permitted bythe fact that the vertical dimension of pin member 58 nowhere exceedthat which might pass through socket opening 56. As the pin member 58 isbeing inserted into housing 34 through socket opening 56, spring 98 iscammed inwardly by the lower surface of opening 56 into groove 100. Oncegroove 100 passes completely through socket opening 56, the forward endof spring 98 will spring outwardly and abut the rear face 54a of socketmeans 54, thereby preventing pin member 58 from falling back out ofopening 56. Abutment of spring 98 with rear face 54a of socket means 54also limits forward movement of pin member 58 under influence of spring94 to a proper advanced position wherein grooves 68 are positioned forengagement by rails 76 of locking member 74. If it is necessary todisassemble the lock assembly, a suitable tool can be inserted throughopening 84 to force spring 98 upwardly into groove 100 until pin member58 has been advanced sufficiently for spring 98 to be held in its groove100 by the lower surface of socket opening 56.

The rear wall 38' of housing 34' of lower male lock assembly 20' has apocket 92' identical to pocket 92. As previously mentioned, the pinmembers 58 and 58' of the upper and lower male lock asemblies areidentical, and the pin member 58' of the lower male lock assembly 20'has associated therewith springs identical, both in form and ininterrelation with other parts of the lock assembly, to springs 94 and98. Thus, these springs in the lower male lock assembly 20' will not beshown or further described in detail.

The front wall 36 of housing 34 has a pair of shear bearing lugs 102formed thereon. Lugs 102 are disposed on opposite sides of socketopening 56. Lugs 102 project forwardly from the remainder of front face54b of socket means 54, but by a distance sufficiently small that theywill not interfere with the handling of the construction component 10 onwhich the lock assembly is carried in the manner of a standard freightcontainer. The upper and lower surfaces 101 of each lug 102 are planarsurfaces extending generally horizontally but slightly verticallyinclined toward each other for a purpose to be described more fullyhereinbelow. Housing 34' of lower male lock assembly 20' has identicallugs 102' thereon.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, upper female lock assembly 22 will bedescribed in greater detail. The housing 46 of upper female lockassembly 22 is similar to the housing 34 of upper male lock assembly 20in many respects. Its front wall 48 includes a female socket means 104having rear face 104a and front face 104b. A female socket opening 106,substantially identical in size and shape to opening 56 of male lockassembly 20, extends through socket means 104 in the front-reardirectional mode.

Front wall 48 of housing 46 differs from front wall 36 of housing 34 inthat, rather than the lugs 102, wall 48 has a pair of lugs 108 formedthereon and disposed immediately above and below socket opening 106. Forconvenience, lugs 108 extend completely laterally across the socketmeans 104. However, since the purpose of lugs 108 is to engage lugs 102when the male and female lock assemblies are mated, each lug 108 couldbe replaced by a pair of lugs spaced apart by a distance correspondingto socket opening 106. Lugs 108 define therebetween a space 110 forreceipt of lugs 102. The planar surfaces of lugs 108 which define space110 are slightly vertically inclined to correspond to the taper 101 oflugs 102.

The rear wall 50 of housing 46 is similar to the rear wall 38 of housing34 of upper male lock assembly 20 except that it lacks the integralpocket 92. The upper wall of housing 46 is similar to that of the malehousing 34, and in particular, includes an opening 112 identical toopening 84 and including a notch 112a identical to notch 84a. The bottomof housing 46 is identical to that of housing 34, and in particular, isopen and is connected by a channel member 114 to the upper end ofhousing 46' of the lower female lock assembly 22'.

A female lock member 116, identical to male lock member 74, is mountedfor reciprocation with respect to socket means 104 and its socketopening 106 between a raised release position as shown and a lockingposition in which the rails 118 of locking member 116 are disposedgenerally on opposite sides of opening 106 and overlapping therewith. Inaddition to the rails or tines 118, locking member 116 includes a bridgesection 120 connecting the upper ends of rails 118, and a tab 122extending rearwardly therefrom. The structure of member 116 is identicalto that of male lock member 74, and the relationships between the member116 in its locking and release positions, with respect to opening 106,are precisely the same as the analogous positions of members 74 withrespect to opening 56.

Locking member 116 is likewise connected to a similar locking member 117of the lower female lock assembly 22' by rods 124, by welding, for jointreciprocation between locking and release positions. The assembly 116,124, 117 is identical to the assembly 74, 82, 75 of the tandem male lockassemblies 20 and 20'. Likewise, a frictional retaining device 125, 126,127 identical to device 87, 88, 89 is provided for assembly 116, 124,117, as are stops 129, 131 and a latch spring 128, identical to stops91, 93 and spring 90, both in structure and function.

As with the tandem male lock assemblies, the tandem female lockassemblies shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 differ in that their housings 46 and46' are reversed or arranged as mirror images of each other, while theirrespective locking members 116 and 117 are oriented in the samedirection, i.e. with their tines extending downwardly. Likewise, lockingmember 117 of the lower female lock assembly has longer tines 119 butlacks a tab analogous to tab 122 of member 116. Otherwise, the femalelock assemblies are identical, and in particular, it is noted that shearbearing lugs 108', identical to lugs 108, are formed on front wall 46',and guides 109 are provided for lower female lock member 117.

The operation of the male and female lock assemblies is as follows. Fortransport to the construction site, the pin members of the male lockassemblies would be placed in their retracted positions. FIG. 10 showsthe pin member 58 of upper lock assembly 20 in its retracted position,and the retracted position of the pin member 58' of the lower male lockassembly would be analogous. As shown in FIG. 10, pin member 58 has beenforced rearwardly, compressing spring 94, until the grooves 62 of itsfirst lock engagement region are disposed behind the rear face 54a ofsocket 54 where they are engaged by respective rails 76 of lockingmember 74, which has been lowered to its locking position.

As will be explained more fully below in connection with the advancedposition of the pin 58, rails 76 are sized to project laterallyoutwardly from grooves 62 beyond the sides of opening 56 so that theymay abut the rear face 54a of socket 54. Thus, the rear-to-front forceexerted on pin member 58 by compressed spring 94, or any otherrear-to-front force which might be exerted on pin member 58, istransmitted through locking member 74 to socket 54, whereby pin member58 is prevented from advancing from the position shown in FIG. 10.Although further retraction of pin 58 rearwardly from the position ofFIG. 10 is not a particular problem, it might be noted that suchmovement will be limited by abutment of tab 80 of lock member 74 withthe edge of opening 84 in housing 34 and abutment of lock member 75 withguides 73.

The locking member 74 is latched into its lowered or locking position,as shown, by virtue of the fact that spring 90 underlies the top wall 35of housing 34 adjacent opening 84. It should be noted that, when thelock member 74 is in its locking position, it lies generally flush withthe upper extremity of housing 34, which in turn is generally flush withthe top wall 12 of the construction component 10 (shown in FIG. 10 butbroken away in other Figs. for clarity). The head end of pin member 58projects forwardly from the front face 54b of socket 54 only by a verysmall distance, generally comparable to that by which the lugs 102project. As previously mentioned, this distance is not great enough tointerfere with transport and other handling of the constructioncomponent 10 in the manner of a standard freight container. Thus, withthe apparatus in the position of FIG. 10, it will be said that all partsof the male lock assembly lie generally within the gross dimensions ofthe construction component 10. The pin member 58' will be held in asimilar retracted position by its respective locking member 75, as willall other pin members of all male lock assemblies on the constructioncomponent.

When the component 10, and similar components to be connected thereto,have reached the construction site, the pin members of those male lockassemblies which will be used to make up the connections between theconstruction components will be placed in their advanced positions, asshown in FIG. 4, and the locking members of the female lock assembliesto be connected therewith will be raised to their release positions asshown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

More specifically, with respect to the male lock assemblies, andbeginning from the position of FIG. 10, a crowbar or other suitable toolis inserted into notch 84a in opening 84 in the top wall 35 of housing34 of the upper male lock assembly 20. In a manner more fully explainedin the aforementioned prior U.S. patents, the tool is used to force theupper end of spring 90 forward, until it clears the underside of the tophousing wall and is forced under tab 80. By continued movement of thetool, tab 80 can be pryed upwardly, thereby raising locking member 74and the connected locking member 75 of the lower male lock assembly 20'.Continued upward movement may be effected, either with the same oranother tool, or by hand, once the upward movement has been started inthe aforementioned manner.

When the locking members 74 and 75 have been raised a sufficientdistance to clear their respective pin members 58 and 58', i.e. to theirrelease positions (which are analogous to those shown in FIGS. 6 and 7for the female lock assemblies) pin member 58 will be urged outwardly byspring 94, and pin member 58' will likewise be urged outwardly by asimilar compression spring (not shown) in pocket 92'. If, for anyreason, e.g. breakage of such compression springs, the pins 58 and 58'do not advance from their retracted positions, a simple tool can beengaged in notch 61, or in any of the recesses 66, depending on thecurrent position of the pin member, to force the pin member outwardly orforwardly to its advanced position. Since housing 34' is identical tohousing 34, and in particular, has an opening (not shown) in its lowerwall identical to opening 84 in the upper wall of housing 34, a similartechnique may be used to force pin 58' outwardly or forwardly.

As the portion of pin 58 which, in its retracted position, is disposedin pocket 92, moves forwardly, spring 98 will automatically emerge fromits groove 100 in the underside of pin member 58. Spring will engagerear face 54a of socket 54 when the pin member 58 is in its advancedposition, i.e. with grooves 62 located well beyond front face 54b ofsocket 54 and with grooves 68 located just behind rear face 54a, underinfluence of spring 94. Although spring 98 would not be sufficient totake high tensile loading, it will stop the movement of pin member 58 inthe forward direction under the relatively low force exerted by spring94, and temporarily hold the pin member 58 in that position until lockmember 74 can be lowered to its locking position, as shown in FIG. 4.Pin member 58' has an identical spring (not shown) which similarly stopsthe forward movement of pin member 58' at its advanced position.

When locking member 74 is lowered, as by striking it with a hammer, theconnected locking member 75 will automatically be lowered therewith.Rails 76 of locking member 74 will enter grooves 68, and rails 77 oflocking member 75 will enter analogous grooves in lower pin member 58'.Since locking member 74 is sandwiched between rear face 54a of socket 54and the edge of upper housing wall 35 adjacent opening 84, and lockmember 75 is sandwiched between socket 54' and guides 73, this positionlocks the pin members in their advanced positions. The locking rails 76or 77 of each pair have their inner sides flared outwardly anddownwardly, as explained in the aforementioned prior U.S. patents (seealso 118a and 119a in FIG. 7), to tighten the locking engagementgradually. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the lower end of eachrail 76 has its front and rear surfaces tapered inwardly and downwardlyto guide the rails into the locking grooves. During the aforementionedlowering of the assembly 74, 82, 75, spring 90 will snap into placebeneath the upper wall of housing 34 adjacent opening 84.

The locking members 116 and 117 of the tandem female lock assemblies 22and 22' will be raised to their release positions, as shown in FIGS. 6and 7, in the same manner as was done with the male lock assemblies.Then, with the male lock assemblies in the positions shown in FIGS. 4and 5, and the female lock assemblies in the positions shown in FIGS. 6and 7, the construction components on which these assemblies are carriedare drawn toward each other, as by ropes or the like, so that pinmembers 58 and 58' enter socket openings 106 and 106', respectively. Thetapered areas 60 on the head end of pin member 58 help to graduallyguide the pin member into the female socket opening 106. Because thelugs 108 extend completely across the front face of female housing 46,and in particular, across the upper and lower borders of socket opening106, tapered areas 110 likewise help to gradually guide pin member 58into socket opening 106. The same type action occurs in the lower lockassemblies 20' and 22'.

When the assemblies have been thus mated, the grooves 62 of the firstlock engagement region of pin 58 will be disposed just behind rear face104a of socket 104 of the mating female lock assembly. Analogous groovesof pin member 58' will be in a like position with respect to lowerfemale lock assembly 22'. By striking the locking member 116 of theupper female lock assembly 22, both locking members 116 and 117 arelowered to their locking positions, to place the apparatus in thecondition illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9.

It is specifically noted that, as the assembly 116, 124, 117 is beinglowered, long rails 119 of the lower female lock member 117 will beginto engage their respective pin member 58' before rails 118 of upperfemale lock member 116 engage pin 58. Because of the downward andoutward flaring of the laterally inner edges 119a of rails 119 (see FIG.7), and the downward and inward tapering of the front and rear surfacesof the rails 119 at their lower ends (see 119b in FIG. 6), the lowerlock assemblies 20' and 22' will be gradually cammed or wedged into firmmating engagement by the lowering of lock member 117. This will overcomeany tendency of the lower edges of the lateral walls on which the lockassemblies are carried to splay (as the weight of the workers standingnear those lateral walls on the upper deck tips or rocks the respectiveconstruction components). Thereafter, the upper lock member 116 mayreadily be fully lowered and engaged with its respective pin member. Itis noted, in particular, that if the upper female lock member 116 werepermitted to engage its respective pin member too soon, it could providea pivot point which would increase the tendency of the lower edges ofthe lateral walls of the two construction components to splay therebymaking it difficult to properly mate and lock the lower assemblies.

With the apparatus in the condition illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9,because rails 118 of upper female locking member 116 are disposed ingrooves 62 of pin member 58, but extend laterally outwardly therefrom toabut rear face 104a of female socket 104, any front-to-rear forceexerted on pin member 58 will be transmitted through locking member 118to socket 104, whereby pin member 58 is locked into female lock assembly22.

If a rear-to-front tensile force is exerted on pin member 58, e.g. ifthe construction component on which the female lock assembly 22 iscarried tends to pull away from the construction component on which themale assembly 20 is carried, such force will be transmitted from therear face 104a of socket 104 through locking member 118 to pin member58, and from pin member 58 through male locking member 74, to malesocket 54.

When the male and female lock assemblies have been mated and lockedtogether, the shear bearing lugs 102 and 108 of the male and female lockassemblies, respectively, are meshed. Because the shear bearingformations 102 and 108 project and receive in a generally front-reardirectional mode with respect to pin member 58, they are capable oftransmitting shear forces transverse to pin member 58 independently ofthat pin member. In particular, the upwardly and downwardly facingsurfaces of lugs 102, and the opposed surfaces of lugs 108, whiletapered or vertically inclined to help guide the lock assemblies intoproper engagement and to ensure, through a wedging action, contactbetween the male and female shear bearing formations, face generallyvertically, and therefore, are capable of transmitting vertical shearloads between the housing 34 and 46 independently of pin member 58.

This arrangement is chosen, especially for components to be used inconstructing floating structures such as barges, because the verticalshear forces tend to be greater than the transverse horizontal shearforces. However, it will be appreciated that the principles of thepresent invention can likewise be applied to provide shear bearingformations which would transmit horizontal shear forces independently ofthe pin member. In general, it is desirable that the shear bearingformations be arranged so as to transmit shear loads transverse to thepin member in a direction generally parallel to the path ofreciprocation of the locking means, thus they should face generally insuch direction.

Returning to the exemplary embodiment illustrated, wherein the shearbearing formations are arranged to transmit vertical shear loads, it canbe seen, most notably in FIG. 5, that the transverse vertical dimensionof pin member 58 can be substantially smaller than its transversehorizontal dimension, since pin member 58 is relied upon to transmitonly horizontal shear loads (which are usually relatively low in thetypes of construction in question). Thus, a given locking system,comprising a male and female lock assembly, is capable of handlinggenerally greater loads than were previously possible, without acorresponding increase in the overall size and weight of the pinmembers. Furthermore, by minimizing the vertical thickness of pins 58and 58', it is possible to maximize the distance between their centersof gravity, and thereby better resist hinging action of the connectedcomponents on a horizontal axis.

Because of the use of tandem pairs of lock assemblies, the assemblies ofeach pair being vertically spaced, and further due to the use of pinmembers which are formed (preferably monolithically) of metal or likerigid material throughout, the locking system of the present inventionis defined to positively prevent any substantial hinging, about ahorizontal axis, as between adjacent connection components. This enablessuch components to be assembled into many types of structures whichcould not be properly formed with the articulated types of connectionsexemplified by certain prior art systems described hereinabove. Not onlyis it possible, with the present invention, to form more stable floatingstructures, such as bridges, drilling platforms, etc., but it is alsopossible to form non-floating structures such as land supported bridgesand the like. Nevertheless, and again due to the rigidity of the pinmembers and their arrangement in vertical tandem pairs, it is notnecessary to use unduly large force-transmitting parts in the lockassemblies, and in particular, all moving parts of the lock assemblies,including the pin members and the male and female lock means, are easilymanually movable using simple hand tools. The planar configuration ofthe meshed shear bearing surfaces 101 and 110 further resists any suchhinging action.

Another feature which enhances the load handling characteristics of theapparatus is the fact that each of the housings 34 and 46 isintegral--preferably monolithic--and has a substantial front-to-reardimension, i.e. includes a front wall which defines the respectivesocket means and a rear wall spaced from that front wall. Referringagain to FIG. 3, it will be recalled that the weld lines 40 and 52extend along a substantial front-rear extent of the respective housings34 and 46. This differs from prior art arrangements in which a singleplate-like socket (for a female assembly) or pin base (for a maleassembly) was welded to the construction component. The new arrangementprovides a better force distribution, and in particular, provides awelded attachment at a position spaced from the socket means, wheresubstantial forces are felt, thereby lessening the chance of failure ofone type or another.

All of the above force transmitting interrelationships in the upperassemblies 20 and 22 are duplicated in the analogous parts of the lowerassemblies 20' and 22', so that the latter will not be further describedin detail. However, it is noted that in FIG. 8, the meshing relationshipbetween the shear bearing lugs 102' and 108' is further illustrated inelevation.

If it is desired to separate the construction components which have beenthus connected together, the upper female lock member 116 is raised toits release position, carrying the lower female lock member 117 with itvia rods 124. The construction components can then be separated. Toprovide low profiles for any additional transport or handling of thecomponents, the female lock members can then be relowered into theirlocking positions, but without any pin members disposed in theirrespective sockets.

To return the male lock assemblies to a low profile position, the uppermale lock member 74 is first raised to its release position, carryingthe lower member 75 therewith. Lower pin member 58' of the tandem pairof male lock assemblies is pushed rearwardly or inwardly to itsretracted position and temporarily held there manually or by anysuitable means. The interconnected lock members 74 and 75 are partiallylowered, by striking the upper member 74. Because the rails 77 of lowermale lock member 75 are longer than the rails 76 of upper male lockmember 74, rails 77 will engage partially within grooves 62' of theirrespective pin member 58' while rails 76 of upper lock member 74 arestill clear of their respective pin member 58. This will temporarilyhold pin member 58' in its retracted position while pin member 58 isurged rearwardly to its retracted position. Then, while temporarilyholding pin 58 in its retracted position, e.g. manually, the lockmembers 74 and 75 are further lowered to their full locking positions,wherein both pin members 58 and 58' are firmly locked in their retractedpositions, and the locking assemblies 74, 82, 75 in turn is latched inplace by engagement of spring 90 with the underside of the top wall ofhousing 34.

The foregoing describes exemplary embodiments of the present invention.However, many modifications can be made within the skill of the art andthe spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the scope ofthe invention be limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A construction component comprising:a pluralityof male lock assemblies arranged in pairs, the two male lock assembliesof each of said pairs being vertically spaced from each other along alateral wall of said component, and each of said male lock assembliescomprising: a male body fixedly mounted on said component; a rigid pinmember carried by said male body for reciprocation between an advancedposition in which said pin member protrudes from said lateral wall ofsaid construction component and a retracted position in which said pinmember lies generally within the gross dimension of said constructioncomponent; resilient biasing means cooperative between said male bodyand said pin member, to yieldably bias said pin member to said advancedposition; and male lock means carried on said male body and cooperativewith said pin member, when said pin member is in its retracted position,to selectively prevent movement of said pin member to its advancedposition; and a plurality of female lock assemblies adapted forengagement with such male lock assemblies of a similar constructioncomponent for locking the components together, said female lockassemblies being arranged in pairs, the two female lock assemblies ofeach of said pairs being vertically spaced from each other along alateral wall of said component, and each of said female lock assembliescomprising a female body including female socket means defining a femalesocket opening adapted for receipt of such a pin member, and female lockmeans movable with respect to said female socket means between a releaseposition and a locking position for selectively locking such pin memberin said female socket means.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein saidconstruction component is generally in the form of a rectangularparallelepiped having gross dimensions generally corresponding to thoseof a standard freight container.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 whereinsaid construction component further has standard container lift-lashfittings thereon.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said pin membersand said lock means are manually movable between their respectivepositions.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein there are an even numberof such pairs on each lateral side of said construction component, thelock assemblies on each such side being alternately male and femalealong the length of said side.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein suchconstruction component comprises outer walls and a plurality of loadbearing trusses extending across the interior thereof, and wherein eachof said trusses has a male lock assembly mounted on one end thereof anda female lock assembly mounted on the other end thereof.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein as to each of said male lockassemblies:said male body including male socket means having front andrear faces and a male socket opening extending therethrough in thefront-rear directional mode and receiving said pin member for suchreciprocation; said male lock means is carried by said male body forreciprocation with respect to said male socket means and transverse tosaid male socket opening between a locking position, for interengagementbetween said male body and said pin member for transferringrear-to-front forces from said pin member to said body, and a releaseposition spaced therefrom; and wherein said pin member has first andsecond lock engagement regions spaced from each other along the lengthof said pin member such that, when said pin member is in its advancedposition, said first lock engagement region is positioned forward ofsaid front face of said male socket means for insertion into a femalesocket opening and for engagement by a female lock means of another suchconstruction component, and said second lock engagement region ispositioned for engagement by said male lock means, said male lock means,in its locking position, being cooperative between said pin member andsaid male body to so transfer rear-to-front forces and prevent forwardmovement of said pin member with respect to said male socket meansbeyond its advanced position.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein, whensaid pin member is in its advanced position and said male lock means isin its locking position, said male lock means is further cooperativebetween said pin member and said male body to inhibit movement of saidpin member to its retracted position.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8wherein, when said pin member is in its retracted position, said firstlock engagement region is positioned for engagement by said male lockmeans, and said male lock means, in its locking position, is cooperativebetween said pin member and said male body to prevent movement of saidpin member to its advanced position.
 10. The apparatus of claim 7further comprising male lock retainer means cooperative between saidmale body and said male lock means to prevent separation thereof, andfemale lock retainer means cooperative between said female body and saidfemale lock means to prevent separation thereof.
 11. The apparatus ofclaim 7 wherein said male and female lock means are vertically movable,being lowered in said locking position and raised in said releaseposition, and wherein said male and female lock retainer means includemeans operative to retain their respective lock means in raisedpositions against the force of gravity.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11wherein said male and female lock retainer means include resilientlybiased friction devices engaging their respective lock means with forcesof such magnitude that said forces can be overcome to manually lift saidlock means but will then automatically retain said lock means in araised position, against the force of gravity, when the manual liftingforce is removed.
 13. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said male andfemale lock means are similar.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13 whereineach of said pin members has, in each of its lock engaging regions, apair of parallel locking grooves extending generally vertically alongopposite sides of said pin member; and wherein each of said male andfemale lock means comprises a pair of generally vertically orientedlocking rails disposed behind the rear face of the respective male orfemale socket means, each of said rails being slidably receivable in arespective locking groove of such pair of grooves and extendinglaterally outwardly from said groove beyond the respective socketopening whereby said rails may abut the rear face of the respectivesocket means adjacent the respective socket opening to transferlongitudinal forces on said pin member to said socket means.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 14 wherein each of said lock means, in its lockingposition, lies generally within the gross dimensions of saidconstruction component.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the socketmeans of each pair of lock assemblies are structurally interconnected,and the lock means of each pair of lock assemblies are connected forjoint reciprocation.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein, as to eachsuch pair of lock assemblies, when the lock means are jointly removedfrom their release positions to their locking positions to so engagesaid pin members, one of the lock means of said pair will engage itsrespective pin member before the other lock means of said pair engagesits respective pin member.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wheren said onelock means is the lock means of the lower of said pair of lockassemblies.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said constructioncomponent is buoyant.
 20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the lockingrails of said one lock means are longer than the locking rails of saidother lock means.
 21. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said male andfemale lock assemblies comprise respective shear bearing formationsintegrally adjoined to their respective socket means, said shear bearingformations projecting and receiving horizontally for interengagementwhen the respective lock assembly is mated with a lock assembly of theopposite gender of another such construction component, and definingrespective opposed shear bearing surfaces for transmitting shear forcestransverse to said pin member independently of said pin member.
 22. Theapparatus of claim 21 wherein said shear bearing formations are adaptedto so transmit vertical shear loads.
 23. The apparatus of claim 22wherein said shear bearing surfaces are adapted to resist pivoting ofsuch connected components about a horizontal axis.
 24. The apparatus ofclaim 22 wherein each of said pin members, in the area adapted to bereceived in said male and female socket means when the pin member is inits advanced position and locked into a female socket means, has atransverse generally vertical dimension substantially smaller than itstransverse generally horizontal dimension.
 25. The apparatus of claim 24wherein each of said lock assemblies comprises a housing having a frontwall comprising the respective socket means and on which the respectiveshear bearing formations are formed, and a rear wall spaced from saidfront wall.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein each of said housingsis monolithic.
 27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said constructioncomponent is generally in the form of a rectangular parallelepipedhaving gross dimensions generally corresponding to those of a standardfreight container.
 28. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein saidconstruction component is buoyant.
 29. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinsaid pin members and said lock means are manually movable between theirrespective positions.
 30. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the lockmeans of each pair of lock assemblies are connected for jointreciprocation.
 31. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said malelock assemblies further comprises pin retainer means cooperative betweensaid pin member and said male body to limit movement of said pin memberby force of said resilient biasing means, and thereby prevent separationof said pin member and said male body.
 32. The apparatus of claim 31wherein said pin retainer means are selectively disengageable to permitselective disassembly of said pin member from said male body.
 33. Theapparatus of claim 32 wherein each of said pin members has a retainerrecess therein, said pin retainer means being carried on said pin memberadjacent said retainer recess and resiliently biased to extend out fromsaid retainer recess for engagement with said male body, but yieldablywhereby said retainer means can be selectively forced into said retainerrecess.